Product Description

From Amazon

Forget about the word vegetarian in the title, and don't think inspired is just hype. The Vegetarian Grill features a host of unexpected dishes that should interest almost everyone. Have you ever thought, for example, of grilling quesadillas or falafel; of making lasagna laced with grilled, chopped vegetables; or of using grilled vegetables to infuse a meatless split-pea soup with deep flavor? In the chapters on Flame-Kissed Pastas and Grilled Fruit and Desserts, check out the Roasted Garlic and Pepper Linguine, where grilling garlic, tomatoes, and sweet peppers caramelizes their natural sugars and adds smoky savor, and be sure to try the Grilled Pears with Chocolate Sauce, made extra-rich tasting with brown sugar.

If you decide to buy a grill on the strength of Andrea Chesman's recipes, read her clear discussion of the differences between gas and charcoal models. You will probably be inspired to buy what she calls a "vegetable grill rack" and a grill-wok, too, so you can enjoy grilling pizzas and making the chopped vegetables used in some recipes. Not only can The Vegetarian Grill help you enjoy eating more vegetables more often, but it is also likely to make you keep the grill fired up all year 'round. --Dana Jacobi

From Library Journal

Here are three new titles to mark the arrival of prime grilling season. Bonanno, an 18-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, is also the author of the best-selling The Healthy Firehouse Cookbook (Hearst, 1995). This time he offers recipes?both his own and from firefighters around the country?for healthy grilled entrees, along with (sometimes) more indulgent side dishes and desserts. The recipes are simple and the instructions clearly written. Recommended for collections where the first book was popular. Chesman has written half a dozen or so other cookbooks, not necessarily vegetarian, including Salad Suppers (LJ 6/15/97). Although she lives in Vermont, she grills even in the dead of winter, and she offers lots of recipes for Fire-Up Flatbreads and Pizzas, Kabobs and Other Compelling Combinations, Grilled Desserts, and more. Chesman has an engaging style, and she offers lots of handy tips with her appealing recipes; recommended for most collections. [BOMC Good Cook selection.] The Jamisons are authorities on "real" barbecue, with two titles on the subject (Smoke & Spice, LJ 4/15/94, and Sublime Smoke, LJ 5/15/96). Now they've moved on to "the open flame," with 300 recipes for all sorts of grilled goodies, from Happy-Hour Skewers and Spreads to Hot Burgers and Haute Dogs (they're fond of cutesy recipe names and cornball humor) to S'mores and More. They include many regional favorites and specialties, as well as grilling history, folklore, and other interesting tidbits, and their recipes are mouthwatering. Recommended for most collections. [BOMC Good Cook selection.]Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Most helpful customer reviews

Two things made this a great book for me.1. I've been a vegetarian for 16 years.2. I've been living in Sydney, Australia for 6 of those and we were given a huge gas Barbeque as a wedding present.Since I moved to Sydney I drag a bag of veggie burgers to every BBQ. There's only so many types of veggie burger you can try before eating at the next BBQ is a real chore.Since I got it, this book has opened up a whole new world of BBQ enjoyment to me. I've had it a week; we've had three BBQ's and I have tried a half dozen recipes. All of them worked out really well. We are talking red pepper Quesedilas, herb-grilled potatoes, veggie skewers in Tandoori sauce, char-grilled vegetables with cous cous. Yummmm. The (normally carnivorous) guests were all well impressed too.Recipes are from around the world as you might have gathered and are not overly complex or time-consuming. They are well described, but this is not a glossy book. There are no photos bar the cover. Illustrations are hand-drawn but clear. The layout is easy to read and pleasing to the eye. This is a food-lovers book, not a coffee-table decoration.The only slight limitation is many of the recipes require a special vegetable grill pan. I've never seen one of these things and reckon they aren't commonly available down here. So a few of the recipes will result in much loss of your vegetables to the coals below. But you learn the work-arounds fast. For me half the fun of cooking is adapting recipes to what you have, so if a few of the ingredients are not available, it's just fun making a new recipe.I thought I had too many vegetarian cook books in my library. This one proved me wrong! If only I could find a way to get this in the hands of a few more people in Sydney, I wouldn't have to do all the cooking. How about an Australian edition?

My good friend Sam is a great barbecuer. As a matter of fact, he instantly became my good friend about two seconds after I tried his ribs for the first time. My good friend Diane is Sam's wife. Despite being married to Sam for many years now, she has never tried Sam's ribs or any of his other barbecue creations. Why? Well, Diane is a vegetarian. Now don't ask me how they've made their bond work so well with such drastic differences, but sometimes I liken their relationship to Willie Nelson marrying a deaf woman (hypothetically speaking, that is). This still presents a quandry for having Sam and Diane over for a barbecue. Let's face it - how many of us give as much thought to the non-meat components of the menu as we do to the meat? But now my problems have been solved, courtesy of Andrea Chesman and her book, "The Vegetarian Grill". With over 200 recipes, plus lot's of key tips for grilling vegetables, Chesman has helped me to see there's more to throw on the grill than just the meat du jour. Within the first paragraph of the introductory chapter, Chesman urges the reader to make their key investment for grilling vegetables - an enamel-coated metal grill rack. This is advice you'll want to heed. I found a 9" x 12" rack at the local outlet of a large, Arkansas-based discount chain store that was the same price as this book. The 11 chapters of the book progress from simple grilled vegetables and salads to pizzas. There's a chapter on vegetarian burgers and another on pasta dishes. Grilled fruits make their way into the book in the chapter on desserts. All in all, it makes for a very comprehensive look at vegetarian grilling and the recipes are laid out in a pretty straightforward fashion.After re-r eading the basic recommendations for grilling vegetables (i.e.Read more ›

This is a great addition to the collection - I have two other grill books and this compliments them well. Interesting recipes, mouth watering pictures to inspire, straight forward instructions. Some interesting cheese dishes, great dips, and I love the sate recipes. Definitely makes it so you're not missing out on delicious grilled foods.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)

Amazon.com:
15 reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful

A terrific guide for vegetarian grillingAug. 25 1998

By
A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback

This is a great book to help vegetarians get past the standard packaged meatless burgers and enjoy the grill as an everyday tool for summer meal planning. The author offers a variety of recipes which draw upon many ethnic cuisines including Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, and Italian. The section on wraps provides several ways to prepare flavorful, healthy, vegetables and beans. The book also offers a number of innovative ways to prepare tofu which I look forward to trying.Equally important to the recipes is the book's discussions on grilling how-to and equipment recommendations. After finding this book, I am ready to switch from charcoal to gas so we can grill everyday.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Veggie BBQ!Sept. 13 2005

By
J. R.
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase

My husband and I have been vegetarians for about twenty years and are raising our kids vegetarian too. For years I've always brought veggie burgers and tofu pups to other people's barbeque parties every summer. I thought we needn't bother owning a grill of our own because all we could make on it would be garden burgers anyway (how exciting is that? not very!) Anyway, this book has shown me how wrong I was. We recently acquired a very nice gas grill and I have been cooking up a storm on it! I've been using this cookbook and everything has been delicious. Not one bad recipe so far. I had a BBQ party of my own finally for my sons first Birthday recently and it was a totally hit. I made veggie pizzas (with the recipe from this book, although I used my own pizza dough recipe.)I grilled up all the veggies and than had everyone fix their own pizzas which I grilled for them. It was a lot of fun. Everyone gobbled them them up, raving about how delicious they were. Plus it was nice for people to see that a BBQ doesn't have to revolve around meat.

As for the comment below about the chicken stock, there is one recipe that says you can use either veggie or chicken stock. (I haven't noticed any others.) I agree it shouldn't be in the book. Vegetarian means no meat at all. I didn't see any mention about adding meat to the recipes, though I haven't read every page of this book, so maybe I just haven't seen it. I haven't seen any recipes that actually call for meat or anything. (No mention in the index either.)

So far I've made about 6 recipes from this book and they have been totally great. Plus, despite the fact that I'd say I know my way around a kitchen, I'd never grilled before and there was a useful chapter just talking about tools. (A vegetable grill rack is a *must* have for veggie grilling. I use mine constantly and would have been very frustrated had I not known about it.) To me, a newbie vegetarian griller this book has been indispensable. My husband keeps commenting on how fun it is to sit out on our deck and eat yummy food from the grill.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

A wonderful asset for any vegetarian!Feb. 16 2001

By
A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Hardcover

I bought this book on a whim; I already have millions of vegetarian cookbooks. My old kettle grill had been relegated to the gargage ever since we became vegetarians 2 years ago. Alas, no more steaks to cook! I am now glad to say the old kettle grill is my most useful appliance. Every single recipe I have tried from this book is a winner! Pizza is my absolute favorite thing to cook on it, but I am experimenting everyday with this book and the excellent recipes it contains. Get it!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

Vegetarians: say "hello" to the Barbie!Jan. 1 2004

By
NicksMyName
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback

Two things made this a great book for me.1. I've been a vegetarian for 16 years.2. I've been living in Sydney, Australia for 6 of those and we were given a huge gas Barbeque as a wedding present.Since I moved to Sydney I drag a bag of veggie burgers to every BBQ. There's only so many types of veggie burger you can try before eating at the next BBQ is a real chore.Since I got it, this book has opened up a whole new world of BBQ enjoyment to me. I've had it a week; we've had three BBQ's and I have tried a half dozen recipes. All of them worked out really well. We are talking red pepper Quesedilas, herb-grilled potatoes, veggie skewers in Tandoori sauce, char-grilled vegetables with cous cous. Yummmm. The (normally carnivorous) guests were all well impressed too.Recipes are from around the world as you might have gathered and are not overly complex or time-consuming. They are well described, but this is not a glossy book. There are no photos bar the cover. Illustrations are hand-drawn but clear. The layout is easy to read and pleasing to the eye. This is a food-lovers book, not a coffee-table decoration.The only slight limitation is many of the recipes require a special vegetable grill pan. I've never seen one of these things and reckon they aren't commonly available down here. So a few of the recipes will result in much loss of your vegetables to the coals below. But you learn the work-arounds fast. For me half the fun of cooking is adapting recipes to what you have, so if a few of the ingredients are not available, it's just fun making a new recipe.I thought I had too many vegetarian cook books in my library. This one proved me wrong! If only I could find a way to get this in the hands of a few more people in Sydney, I wouldn't have to do all the cooking. How about an Australian edition?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Over 300 pages of a varitey of wicked good veg-on-the-grill dishesMarch 2 2010

By
Chandler
- Published on Amazon.com

Format: Paperback
Verified Purchase

I'll admit that I originally only ordered this book because someone on Amazon was selling a used one for a few cents. Even with shipping, based upon the reviews, that makes it hard to pass up. Still, if it's not a great cookbook I always have no problem in saying so in my reviews, regardless of price...it needs to be "crave-worthy" for a five star review.

We've been grilling a crazy amount lately. 2 weekends ago it was 6am and I was on the deck, in the rain, with a deck light on in the dark, in the cold, grilling something to take to work for lunch. THAT kind of crazy grilling mode. And I have several vegetarian grill books so I am still picky.

This impressed me...and continues to do so. In fact, I've been reaching for it lately non-stop for new ideas. In fact, it's one of those that would make true carnivores not notice anything amiss.

The book is extensive and thick and is divided into the following sections:Grilling BasicsSimply VegetablesAppetizers and Soups from the grillGreat Grilled SaladsSensational Sandwiches and BurgersWrapped and StuffedFired-Up Flatbreads and PizzasFlame-Kissed PastaKabobs, Couscous, and other compelling combinationsGrilled Fruit and DessertsMarinades, Glazes, Pestos and Dipping Sauces

First, for the veggie burger section alone it's worth it. I personally would rather eat a bun with just cheese and condiments than a veggie burger. Not so for these recipes. Here's a few examples of some recipes I like:

I would have knocked it down a star for no nutritional info since most vegetarian cookbooks contain them nowadays since some are vegetarians for health and some for compassion but the health target marget misses out without easy-to-compute nutritionals...but this book was printed 12 years ago when it wasn't as common to find and compute nutritional information...so I threw em a bone and wasn't so picky. I really don't care about photogrphas in cookbooks because I can pretty much picture the dish by reading it, but I know some do care but I DO always like to have nutritional info as I do track what goes in...You may not, so it's noted either way.

Level: Very easy to follow instructions. No one should have difficulty with this one getting the dish right or finding family-friendly AND gourmet dishes as well. Good variety.

Conclusion: A worthy book to shake things up on the grill whether you are in a rut grilling burgers and chicken and want some healthier but tasty options or if you are a full vegetarian who loves that chargrilled taste as much as I do on ANYthing.